ENTANGLED

CHAPTER 1

Bukola Adejo woke up feeling excited. Her time in England was coming to an end and she was looking forward to seeing her parents and her siblings. She had come for her masters program some four years ago. But financial difficulties and other unforeseen circumstances had made her spend more here. Now, she missed home so much and couldn't wait to see her family. She got up from her bed and went straight into the bathroom to rinse out her mouth, gurgling the water in her throat before spitting it out. Then she proceeded to check up on her flatmate, Rebecca. They had met on their first day on campus, and during admission clearance, had quickly struck up a friendship that had stood the test of time.

Opening Becca's door, she found her friend still sleeping and thought of shaking her up. Then she remembered how last night had panned out, and it brought a little chuckle to her throat. Moving out so she wouldn't wake her friend up, she quietly closed the door and headed into the kitchen to brew hot tea.

About thirty minutes later, after she had showered and dressed up, she checked the time and saw that it was almost half past nine. She relaxed a bit, and took her time gathering up the receipts and documents she was going to need in school for her final clearance.

She opened Becca's door and poked her head through, seeing that her friend was wide awake, she said "you are finally awake" and smiled at her. Becca raised her head from her cell phone she had been staring at and replied, "yeah, all thanks to you. I was really smashed last night".

"I'll be heading to school to finish my clearance, then there will be the ceremony remaining" she told Becca. "I'm so happy for you babe. With all the trials and tribulations, you stuck at it and finally, here you are" Becca replied, coming out of her bed to give Bukola a hug. They broke the hug and Bukola wiped a stray teardrop from her left eye and smiled at Becca, then said "thanks for being there always", and she turned and left the house.

Outside, as she walked towards the bus stop, her mind wandered a bit and she thought about her journey.

Coming to England for her masters was her father's idea. Though he wasn't rich, he believed that parents should do all they could to make sure their kids got a quality education. Oludayo Adejo, as her father was called, was a farmer and although money was sometimes hard to come by, he always found a way to provide. He was honest and upright and believed that any wealth gotten without working for it, meant you have knowingly or unknowingly caused another person harm or discomfort. He had instilled the same values in his children, Bukola and her brother and sister. Their mother, Agnes, a typical African woman, did all she could around the house and sold petty things to support the home.

So when things had become tough in England, and the money from home was no longer coming, she had to double down and suspend her education temporarily, so she could work and pay her tuition. There were times when she thought she was never going to save up enough and harbored the idea of giving it all up. Those were the days she was thankful to have met Becca. They had met and quickly struck up a bond.

Becca was from England and had it easier than Bukola. She had helped Bukola several times, especially when their rent was due at the end of the month and Bukola didn't have the money to pay. So, she had told Becca her plans of dropping out and Becca had been horrified. "That is a defeatist thought and I don't want you harboring it at all" Becca had protested. "What would you have me do?" Bukola had asked, "if I can't pay my fees and the Home Office finds out, it simply means I will get deported. But this way, I can maybe beat the system, get a job and hopefully save up enough to complete my schooling". Becca knew she was right and wished that she had the money to help out. Bukola was a nice person and she didn't deserve all this, thought Becca.

So, Bukola had dropped out, put her schooling on hold and worked her ass off day and night. Sometimes she did three jobs, all in an effort to save up enough money for her school and to send some back home, because she had heard that her dad's farm wasn't doing very well. For two years, she stuck at it and, luckily, she was able to save up enough to cover her tuition. Becca had helped and told her not to worry about the rent, she had paid it all by herself, having graduated and was now working. She had stayed back in the city of her university, having gotten a good job offer, and had retained the flat she shared with Bukola.

A loud horn brought Bukola out of her reverie, and the bus had arrived. She hopped in and smiled at the faces she could recognize and took her seat in the next available space.

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Bukkie, as her flatmate, Becca called her, was all packed and ready to leave for the airport. She and Becca had cried their eyes out as they arranged her belongings and had hugged each other tightly countless times. "Don't worry Becca, I am just a flight away. I promise to call you every day", Bukola assured her. They heard the honk of a car outside, Becca peering out of the window to see that it was the cab they had ordered. They picked up her things and headed outside, the cab man coming out to help them put her things in the trunk of the car. Bukola got inside the car and sat in the back seat, Becca getting in through the other door as the cab man started the car and they headed towards the airport.

At the airport, Bukola joined the queue for departures, while Becca watched over her remaining luggage. When she was done checking in, she came back to where Becca was seated and joined her for some minutes. "It is gonna be tough for you over there, you know" Becca began, still hopeful that she could change Bukkola's mind. "I mean, you have been gone for so long now, how do you cope. Getting a job, a bad economy and all that. Though I'm not trying to sound demeaning", she added.

Bukola laughed and waved her worries away, saying "Becca, you forget that is my country. Yes, I've been gone for a while and we have our challenges, but I was born and bred there. It is home" she told her and held her friend's hands before continuing, "I know you want the best for me and also do not want me leaving, for obvious selfish reasons" she smiled coyly and then laughed when she saw that Becca was grinning, before adding, "it's just that I made a promise to my folks that I will come back and help my community by playing my own part. I came to the UK to garner the required knowledge so that I can impact on them. That was the reason I chose Public Health as my course of study". She paused and took a deep breath, allowing Becca to see things from her own point of view.

"I love this country, it has given me so many possibilities I never would have dreamt of. But, it is high time I give back to my country, help it overcome some basic issues that shouldn't even be causing so many problems". She paused again and waited to get back her voice, because it was breaking as she thought about the sufferings of her people. "Becca, what we take for granted here, clean water, electricity, good roads, purchasing power of the currency, and so many other basic amenities, are what makes you wealthy or above standard in my place. People die because they even lack the necessary information to help keep themselves clean and live healthily. Basics Becca, especially health care. Illnesses that could have been avoided by just sensitization and visits. In places there is no electricity", she finished and covered her face in her palms momentarily. Becca reached out and hugged her close, understanding better, Bukola's desire to help her people.

"Do not worry Bukkie, so long as you have a phone and network service, I'll just be around the corner" Becca said, trying to lighten the mood. Bukola smiled, knowing that it was at times like this, when she needed someone to just understand her, she knew Becca was not only her friend, but a blessing to her.

They both heard Bukola's flight being announced and they hugged each other one last time, tears rolling down their cheeks and Bukola broke the hug, running away from Becca and not glancing back, before her nerves failed her and she couldn't go through with traveling. Inside the plane, she went into the restroom and washed the tears from her eyes, looking into the mirror and telling herself that she had made the right choice.